Tag: squats

Einherjar

This sprue of plastic space dwarves from Wargames Atlantic was a freebie on the cover of the January 2024 issues of Miniature Wargames.

You get three models on the sprue with lots of options.

The Einherjar are from Wargames Atlantic’s Death Fields range.

For thousands of years, advanced alien civilizations have visited the Earth for one purpose: to steal their bravest warriors. For centuries, the cream of Earth’s soldiers have been taken against their will to fight, die, and be reborn in arenas throughout the galaxy. The Game Guilds provide some of the most watched sport in the known universe with matches broadcast in thousands of systems. A perennial favourite of sports fans everywhere are the humans – a primitive race from the far edge of the galaxy. Over the millennia, the finest warriors of that backwater planet have been brought to the arenas to fight each other and a host of other sentient species and deadly creatures. Even now, thousands of years since abductions began, Recruiters still acquire the best of Human space’s warriors for the games. The humans go on in their tiny light-years bubble of space attacking each others colony worlds, believing themselves the most advanced race in the universe while the rest of the galaxy watches their immortal ancestors fight and die in the Death Fields…

The Einherjar were descended from Norsemen.

Abducted from their longship on the return voyage from a raid on Wessex, these Norsemen’s new owner settled them on a high gravity world and began their training for the Death Fields circuit. After each battle as wounds miraculously healed and even the dead were brought back to life, the warriors thought of themselves as the fabled Einherjar – the ghostly warriors of Valhalla who fight and die each day and are reborn to feast each night. Over the centuries, their ongoing regeneration while living primarily on their high-gravity homeworld has resulted in stunted growth for themselves and their offspring. Their diminished stature in no way effects their prowess on the fields of battle as they win contest after contest against other teams human and otherwise.

These are no squats, but they do bear a resemblance to the Leagues of Votann ranges.

 

Hekaton Land Fortress revealed

Hekaton Land Fortress

So this beast of a armoured vehicle was revealed at the NOVA Open.

The Hekaton Land Fortress is the Kin’s signature combat vehicle. This chunky Heavy Support tank packs overwhelming firepower onto a rugged frame, and can lug around a hefty 12 models.

I really liked the Sagitaur ATV which was announced in July. Back then I said

We’ve also been told that the Sagitaur isn’t the only vehicle in the Leagues of Votann’s garage. I wonder what else is in that garage?

Well, now we know there was something else in that garage and it is bigger and meaner, the Hekaton Land Fortress.

This is the kind of styling and look that I was hoping we would see with the Cargo-8 Ridgehauler, alas we didn’t.

Now though I would be happy to use these as a Squat, sorry Leagues of Votann, vehicle, I wonder how it compares to human sized models to be used slightly differently. Always difficult to gauge the size of a model from a photograph and no comparative models next to it.

So yes I am interested in the Hekaton Land Fortress as well as the Sagitaur ATV, however I want to see them in the “flesh” before making that purchase.

Sagitaur ATV

Well looked what was revealed today over on the Warhammer Community site, a new vehicle for the Squats, sorry The Leagues of Votann.

Designed for surveying inhospitable alien terrain, the Sagitaur is a rapid-response ATV suited to scouting operations and lightning-fast armoured offensives alongside Hernkyn Pioneers. Its armoured carapace is durable enough to shrug off everything from rockslides to plasma blasts, making it an ideal spearhead for any League-sponsored colonisation effort.

I really like this vehicle, it certainly has character and looks the part. It certainly has a very hard SF feel to the design, I can even see it being used for other games, as well as Warhammer 40K.

We’ve also been told that the Sagitaur isn’t the only vehicle in the Leagues of Votann’s garage. I wonder what else is in that garage?

Vartijan Exo-Driller

The Vartijan Exo-Driller has been revealed over on the Warhammer Community website to accompany Squat Prospectors on their most dangerous digs

These suits of rugged exo-armour were originally designed to protect Squat miners in the most hostile environments – and the ash wastes definitely qualify. They’ve been upgraded over the centuries with heavier weapons and better defences, and Prospector gangs now bring them along to fight off Ash Waste Nomads or other hostiles trying to claim the prime dig sites out in the Necromundan badlands.

Very much a Squat terminator (or even dreadnought) this is a fun model and lots of potential both for and beyond Necromunda.

It is reminiscent of the Squat Exo-Armour of old. It does make me wonder what else we will see over the next few years.

 

 

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Squat Prospectors

Announced today are some really nice Squat Prospectors.

Squat Prospectors

 These are the Ironhead Squat Prospectors – tough and resourceful miners out in the ash wastes who are more than capable of defending themselves from anyone that tries to take the treasures they dig up.

Squat Prospectors

Though designed for Necromunda, I do like these models. They really remind me of the original Squats.

Squat Prospectors

Thinking I might get a squad.

 

The Squats are back!

In a double bluff April Fool, Games Workshop have confirmed that the Squats are coming back to Warhammer 40000.

Squat

It has come to our attention that yesterday’s stunning reveal of the next Warhammer 40,000 faction fell on an unfortunate date. This was an honest mistake that absolutely anyone could have made. To make it up to you, we have a rather special announcement.

They’re real.

Humanity’s long-lost cousins actually are making their return to the 41st Millennium as a full Warhammer 40,000 faction.

The Leagues of Votann are a new faction in Warhammer 40,000 and are by any other name Squats.

Although their civilisation shares common roots with Humanity, the Leagues of Votann have an uneasy relationship with the Imperium of Man. Unlike their superstitious Human cousins, the Leagues emerged from the Age of Strife with far more of their ancient technology intact, including some infamous advances the Imperium would consider extremely heretical.

So expecting to see some powerful and reliable weaponry. We also know that Squats used Rhino transports as well.

Will we see bikes and trikes? These when they were originally released did divide opinion.

What about the Iron Eagle Gyrocopters which function as a fighter-bombers and Overlord Armoured Airships for Aeronautica Imperialis? I can see that at some point we might see models for the Leagues of Votann.

Unlike most other Imperial armies, the Squats don’t build Titans. Instead, the Engineering Guild provides the army with a variety of Praetorian Super Heavy War Engines. Will we see these in Adeptus Titanicus. These would be ideal opposition for Imperial Titans, but I think this is probably a no. We’ve not see Ork Gargants, or Eldar Titans, so unlikely we would see Squat engines of war.

 Will Forge World make bigger versions for Warhammer 40,000? Well they already make the termite assault drills, which can be used by Squats. As for the aircraft, maybe, as for the Praetorian Super Heavy War Engines I would have thought not.

I would like to see for Adeptus Titanicus or Warhammer 40,000 the Squat Land Trains, these would be fun models, even if they were released more as terrain rather than unit models.

In the meantime here are some photographs of my Warhammer 40,000 Squats from the last century!

These are original Space Dwarfs, which I enjoyed painting in a particular style, which for some reason included pastel colours.

The bases were enhanced with milliput and then holes were made with the end of the paintbrush.

These also demonstrate my early attempts at blending and highlighting.

There was a real mix of weapons on these old models, from las rifles to bolters to power fists.

I loved the power armour on the leader of my little group of Squats and the Heavy Weapons Dwarf was certainly carrying something probably way too big for him.

I wish I had been able to buy more of these at the time of their release. I much preferred the high-SF scheme I went for compared to the space bikers look that the squats eventually evolved into, before disappearing…

And now they’re back!

Squats

From Felix’s collection. A blast from the past.

These are original Space Dwarfs, which I enjoyed painting in a particular style, which for some reason included pastel colours.

The bases were enhanced with milliput and then holes were made with the end of the paintbrush.

These also demonstrate my early attempts at blending and highlighting.

There was a real mix of weapons on these old models, from las rifles to bolters to power fists.

I loved the power armour on the leader of my little group of Squats and the Heavy Weapons Dwarf was certainly carrying something probably way too big for him.

I wish I had been able to buy more of these at the time of their release. I much preferred the high-SF scheme I went for compared to the space bikers look that the squats eventually evolved into, before disappearing…

Space Dwarf, okay it’s a Squat, with a Lasgun

We came to know them as Squats, but when this model was released they were Space Dwarves!

Space Dwarf, okay it's a Squat, with a Lasgun

I do like this model, no idea why I painted it “pink” or is it purple. I think I was playing around with the different Citadel Colour paints at that time.

Space Dwarf, okay it's a Squat, with a Lasgun

Lots of blending, but could probably do with some “washes” to smooth out the starkness of the paintwork.